In the coming weeks, we’ll be writing much more about the forthcoming The Measure of America: American Human Development Report 2008-2009 but for now we wanted to let you know that the American Human Development Project has set up a Web site for the book. (There will be much more on the site in the next few weeks, including report highlights, interactive data tools, information, and resources.)

Looking at data pertaining to wealth, health, education, and other factors The Measure of America provides a single measure of well-being for all Americans, broken down by state and congressional district, as well as by gender, race, and ethnicity. The report both reveals what is working in the United States and the huge disparities that exist in the nation.

There is also an excellent video trailer for the book which can be viewed here or on the special youtube channel for the Measure of America.

While many of the book’s startling findings will be announced at a press conference on July 16th, the Web site gives a glimpse of some of the facts found in the report:

* The United States ranks second in the world in per-capita income but 34th in the survival of infants to age 1

* 40 percent of Latino families keep their children indoors for fear of danger outside

* The average U.S. citizen lives, on average, fewer years than people from virtually every European country

* The United States will spend $230 million in the next hour on health care

* If the United States had the same homicide rate as Japan, 1,500 people would have been murdered instead of 15,000 in 2003